


Only time will tell

by charons_boat



Series: A little bit of warmth (more, please) [2]
Category: NCT (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band), WAYV
Genre: Cute boys, Fluff, Hybrids, M/M, Minor Angst, Pining, Singing Your Feelings, Songwriting, band teacher!mark, bear!kun, boys with (cheetah) spots, boys with freckles, cheetah!mark, choir teacher!changmin, dance instructor!changmin, daycare worker!kun, giraffe!changmin, kithes, little bit of hibernation cuteness again, mutual crush, song confession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25324879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat
Summary: If only they'd talked about it a bit sooner, they could have plotted even sooner.
Relationships: Ji Changmin | Q/Mark Lee/Qian Kun, Mark Lee/Ji Changmin | Q, Mark Lee/Qian Kun, Qian Kun/Ji Changmin | Q
Series: A little bit of warmth (more, please) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834276
Comments: 14
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NcityStories](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NcityStories/gifts).



> uwu

The daycare is always loud and full of rambunctious kids, but there's an atmosphere of childish innocence and joy I always find myself coming back to. Children don't judge you for the little things an adult will, like having to hibernate for roughly a quarter of the year. They simply miss me while I'm gone, and make sure I know it when I come back. Their enthusiasm is always something that warms my heart.

One thing about the daycare that makes me feel bad is Ji Changmin. He comes in most every day with the little girl I assume is his daughter, and, inevitably, I always end up talking to him while Wooseok and his daughter greet the little girl with bright smiles and open arms. Jaehwa is old enough for kindergarten, but Wooseok has explained that her mother didn't teach her how to read or count very well, so he'd been spending the past year or so teaching her. He'd said that he hoped to get her enrolled in kindergarten this fall.

Changmin is a hybrid like Mark and I, though he's not a predator like us. He's a giraffe, and while he's not extremely tall he does have a long neck and a smattering of freckles across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. His eyes are dark and round, the same color as the coffee Mark's friend Jaemin drinks every morning. His hair is always wavy when he comes in, but it goes flat by the time he comes back to pick up his daughter. I can only assume that it has to do with morning humidity or something.

The bad thing about Changmin--the only con, really, when everything else about him is so bright and cheerful--is that I still haven't found a way to put a damper on the crush I've somehow developed. It feels juvenile and stupid, especially since Mark is already so good to me. For the past few months, ever since Changmin started bringing his daughter into the daycare, I've been trying to forget, trying to figure out how to tell Mark about it. I can never find the words when he asked how my day went, so I never tell him.

* * *

  
"Kun, we need to talk about something."

Mark is sitting on the couch, handsome with his dark hair and black-lined eyes; I've always thought it unfair that as a cheetah, he never had to do his eyeliner. The faint spots on his neck look darker in the dim light, and I move over to flick the lamp on, which is a testament in and of itself to how hard Mark had been thinking: he'd gotten better over the last few years about remembering to turn the lamp on when it got dark despite not needing it much himself, but he still forgot if he was thinking about something.

"What is it," I ask quietly. Mark takes a deep breath, almost as if he'd forgotten he could do so, and turns a bit so that I can see his face better.

"Well, uhm, do you remember that teacher I told you about? The one that started halfway through last year because the other choir teacher had that… thing happen?" I hum and nod.

"The one that does the dance club?" Mark nods and takes another deep breath.

"Well, see, the thing is, like, I… I don't know if it counts as cheating if I haven't actually _done_ anything, but I have like, this tiny little, uhm, crush? On him? Like, it's hard not to though, especially because his freckles are so cute and he's just, like, such a _good_ guy-- and like, I know why you like my spots now, cause he's got them too, but like on his face as freckles because he's a giraffe, but--"

"Hold on. Wait a second. Is his name Ji Changmin, by any chance?" Mark looks extremely confused as he nods. I blush bright red and bury my face in my hands. "Stupid," I mutter. "So stupid, you're such an idiot, Kun."

"Uh, Kun? Cub? You good?" I sit up and lean back against the couch, staring at the ceiling for a moment before sighing heavily.

"Yeah, I'm just an idiot is all. I uh, have a crush on him too. He comes to the daycare with his daughter a lot, and like-- you're right, he is a really good guy. He's so funny and cute and bright and his freckles are _adorable_ \--"

"Right?! He just always looks so soft and cute, and all the students love him because he's just, like, so good to them and with them, and like, I'm pretty sure I've heard at least half of the kids in band refer to him as their other school dad." Mark suddenly looks embarrassed as he lifts his hand to scratch the back of his neck, and he answers my question before I can even answer it. "I'm the other school dad. They all say that the fine arts teachers are the coolest ones. I mean, I think the art teacher counts as a school mom for some of them too, but y'know, not many band kids are in art, which is surprising, I think, and-- oh, yeah, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a kid. I'm pretty sure Hyerim is his niece."

"Oh. nice. And, uh, yeah, I remember most of my band friends in school weren't really… artistically gifted when it came to doing things on paper or canvas or, just, whatever other medium. But, uhm, anyways… what do we do about our mutual crush?" Mark blushes and grins widely.

"I have the stupidest, cringiest idea ever."

* * *

  
Changmin looks so cute in his pink turtleneck and mint green trench coat, though the tight black skinny jeans have maybe a few too many rips to let it stay completely _cute_. Of course, add on top of that the thick, black combat boots--is that an upside down cross in his ear?--and it really starts leaning into "dangerously handsome" territory. His freckles are still in full force from the remnants of summer, though I know they'll probably fade as the year drags on, and adds an almost artificial blush to his cheeks.

I almost feel plain compared to he and Mark, because while I'm in a big puffy jacket (to ward off the oncoming cold that I unfortunately feel more strongly as winter gets closer and closer) and dark jeans, Mark is comfortable in a band tee and ripped jeans that are just slightly too loose to be skinny jeans. His low-rise converse expose his ankles. The shirt is big and worn, and it hangs down enough to expose the darker spots on his collarbones and shoulders. He doesn't even have any makeup on, and his eyes are hidden behind his circular glasses, but the natural eyeliner around his eyes make them look intense despite the obvious softness of adoration in his eyes.

Changmin stops in front of us and leaves his right hand in his pocket while he pulls the collar of his turtleneck up a little higher with the left. He's actually blushing now, chewing on his bottom lip at the same time. "Why'd you want me to come here?" He sounds nervous and excited, and I wonder how obvious it was to him what this really was. I doubt many people just invite him to the school's auditorium after school hours, after all. Mark smiles devilishly and gently takes Changmin's left hand. I follow behind as the two make their way into the open door.

Mark lets go of Changmin's hand to walk over to the piano in the corner, and I follow him. He'd told me to stand next to it while I did my part in our little confession, and I make sure to pull his office chair in front of the piano before standing at the side of the piano. Mark keeps it cold in the band room, so I keep my coat on.

"What's all this," Changmin asks quietly. I simply smile at him while Mark begins to play. It's not a song Changmin would've ever heard, because it's something that Mark and I wrote ourselves. I hadn't expected, when we first wrote it, that Mark would sing too; I'd forgotten at some point, among a consistent preference for rap songs during karaoke and his teaching band, that Mark was actually very vocally gifted. Even without being able to convey his emotions to Changmin with his face and expressive eyes, he was able to color his voice with all the things I know Changmin would've seen reflected in Mark's eyes were he able to see my boyfriend's face. Changmin is crying by the end, though he's smiling too. I smile gently at him as Mark holds out the last note and walks over, pulling him out of the chair with a firm grip on his hand.

"This is our confession. We realized we were being stupid about trying to hide how we felt about you from each other, so we decided to take a chance and try to confess."

"We uh, understand if you don't, like, _like_ either of us, but we just, uhm, wanted to do this. And I mean, we had fun writing this song together, too, so like--" That sets Changmin to crying once more.

"Of course I like you both! I tried not to show it much because I knew the two of you were dating-- don't look at me like that, Kun, your boyfriend is a chatterbox when it comes to you! I just-- I wasn't sure how the two of you felt, and I didn't want to intrude so… if you'd like to try, and if this is actually what you're offering… I'd like to be your boyfriend." Changmin is blushing bright red, and Mark actually squeals. He hops up from the piano bench and grabs Changmin's face, his fingers sinking in a little because the giraffe's cheeks are just _that_ squishy. He glances at me and begins smothering Changmin with kisses after I nod.

I hope that this lasts a long time, because I could watch Changmin giggling under Mark's touch for the rest of my life.


	2. Chapter 2

"Changmin, I know we kind of warned you, but uh-- like, Kun gets needy as fuck, basically. He'll try to get you to stop doing stuff and cuddle him instead, and he whines a lot, and he'll use the excuse that he's cold but there's literally no way when I keep the apartment so warm before his hibernation even starts, so, like, if you're ever cooking and he wants attention, you just gotta, like, promise him you'll be there soon. Also, he might uh, drag you into his nest if you walk too close. If it gets to be too much, we totally understand, and he'll be bummed but he'll also understand once the entire thing ends and like--"

"I wanna at least try to help. I had a bear friend as a kid and I know how hard it was on his mom to try and care for him all on her own, so… you must be super stressed all the time, huh?" Mark smiles and shakes his head good-naturedly. 

"At first, maybe. Now, though? It's like second nature now. He's pretty cute when he's all needy, though, so like, that's a pretty big bonus. I mean, it sucks that I have to leave him alone during school hours, because as much as I love them, I don't trust the kids not to cause havoc with a sub, but the last time I tried to take him to work with me he got, like… cranky as fuck and band is loud and like. Kun likes quiet when he's in hibernation mode. If you last past today, you'll learn for yourself." I nod and puff out my cheeks, and Mark finally opens the door. A wave of hot air washes over me, and there's a creak and then silence for a moment before there are suddenly heavy, fast footsteps on the floor. Kun appears out of nowhere and flings himself at Mark, and the lithe cheetah stumbles for a second before Kun notices me. 

"You brought Kyu!" The smile on his face is exuberant and reminds me of a child's. He drags me into the tight hug he'd had Mark tangled up in and buries his face in my neck. He sighs happily and murmurs something along the lines of, "You smell so good, Kyu-yah." I blush and thank him, and he drags us into the apartment, closing the door with his foot. He lets us go, only to start pulling my jacket off. A glance at Mark shows that the other is trying to stop himself from laughing. "Minnie, do you have a shirt under this one? You might get hot in here, I know Mark used to complain about that." At this, Mark sticks his tongue out at Kun, and the bear purses his lips before bursting out into giggles. 

"No, I don't."

"Oh, okay! Take off your shoes then, I wanna have our first official hibernation cuddle!" I can't help laughing as I ask, "Oh? Are they different than normal cuddles?" Kun nods and smiles brightly. 

"They're better. We get to bury ourselves in the blankets and Mark's clothes--actually, I think I'm gonna need some of yours to add to my nest this year--but anyways, we get to be nice and cozy, and it's all sleepy inside, and Mark makes plenty of tasty ramen~ Please cuddle with me, Kyu-yah." And really, how can I deny someone with such a cute pout. 

I do last past the end of that day, and the end of that week, and even past the end of the first month, and then the second and third. I'm pretty sure I surprise both of them by sticking around through his entire hibernation. I learn a lot, such as the fact that Kun really does eat a lot and sleep a lot during winter, and the fact that there's really no way to refuse a sleepy, whiny Kun of anything. He ends up with almost half my hoodies and even a few of my sweaters, but Mark promises everytime I relinquish another that I'll get them back once spring really starts again. 

Despite sleeping for days at a time, Kun is still very capable of dragging both of us into his nest while half-asleep. It's almost like sleepwalking, though he only got out of the nest twice for the explicit purpose of taking me back with him. Kun and Mark are both different than I expected them to be, but it's in a good way. Even when Kun gets cranky during his hibernation, he tries to be considerate of my feelings. I figure that the only reason he's less careful with Mark is because they've been together so long that they're completely comfortable in each other's presence and know how to effortlessly read each other. I hope that they'll keep me around long enough that I'll get to that point with them too, but I suppose only time will tell.

**Author's Note:**

> im on twt @sunwooseok_


End file.
